More fallout from Pearson state testing error

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The Mississippi Department of Education provided more details on the testing error that affected nearly 1,000 students and allowed some to accidentally graduate. Thursday morning, MDE chief of accountability Paula Vanderford told reporters the scoring error committed by testing vendor NCS Pearson Inc. helped out students that scored lower on the U.S. History exam, and hurt those who scored higher. “When you look at the impact that the error had and look at the range of scores that students could have received, the students at the lower end of the scale were awarded more points than what they should have gotten,” Vanderford said. The mistake was a human error, she said—the wrong scoring table was used and resulted in incorrect test scores for hundreds of students. The mix up did not negatively affect students because everyone affected got to keep the higher test score, she said.